Rail-turning device



Sept. 16, 1930. H. iw. ELY

RAIL TURNING DEVICE Filed March l5, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (QMS (I lv lillllllll l l I l l I l I l I ATTORNE Patented Sept. 16, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAROLD ELY, OF-HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORIO BETHLEHEM STEEL COMPANY y:RAIL '.IJUluIIrIer DEVICE Application filed March 15, 1926: Serial No. 94,780.

My invention relates to a mechanismfor handling rolled shapes, andl particularly to a device for handling rails or similar objects while being straightened at a gag press. In saying rails or similar objects I mean heavy, extended articles, that is tosay articles which are heavy and have one dimension muchl greater than the others. A rail, for example, is heavy and its length is much greater than its cross sectional dimensions. Y v

Heretofore it has been customary to employ manual labor'to turn over rails about their longitudinal axes from one position to "another so that they are correctly positioned .under a gag press for straightening. Howvide a novel means for mounting a device for mechanically handling a rolled shape so that said device is free to,automatica1ly adjust itself in a vertical plane so as not to interfere with the rotation of the article being handled.

My apparatus stated generally comprises a swinging frame freely mounted on a shaft provlded with inwardly projecting lugs which engage the rail between the under surface of the head portion'and the upper surface of the iiange portion. The rim gear is geared to a pinion xedly mounted on the aforementioned shaft and the latter is oper atively connected to a reversible motor.

The novel features will be more fullyunfil-:ISSUED derstood from the following description and claims taken with the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my rail handling device with parts of the casings broken away to more clearly show the construction; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Referring V,now to the drawings: 10 indi- Cates a gagpress, shown in broken lines, for` straightening rails and the like and may be of any well known type, but this has not been ,shown in detail because such details do not form part of my invention.

A bed plate 11 is positioned at the side of the gag press and supports a reversible motor 12 and a pair of trunnion brackets 13. A shaft 14 is journaled in the brackets 13 and is provided at one end with a fixed pulley 15 which is operably connected, through the medium of a belt 16, to a pulley tixedto the armature shaft of the motor 12. A frame 17 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 14 and extended laterally therefrom, normally in a substantially horizontal plane. A rim gear 18 .is rotatably mounted in the extending end of the frame 17 and is provided with inwardly projecting lugs 19. The'latter extend towards each other and are spaced apart a distance to allow the free passage of the web portions of a rail to the gag press, but, however, are in suificiently close proximity so that the side faces 20 and 21 of said lugs engage the vundersurface of the rail head and the upper face of the rail flange, respectively. The lugs 19 may be formed as an integral part of the rim gear, but, preferably they are detachably mounted on pads 22, formed on the inside of said gear and fastened thereto by suitable means such as the bolts shown in Fig. 2. x

By having the lugs 19 detachable their size and form may be changed as desired to suit the size and shape of the particular structuralunit to be handled and in this manner the device may be easily adapted to handle a large range of sizes and variety of shapes. The frame 17 is preferably made in two parts 23 and 24, each having flanges 25 which are bolted together and are provided with an opening 26. The rim gear provided vwith cylindrical bearing portions 27, von each side thereof, which engage the openings 26 formed in the frame 17 and is thusrotatably supported by the latter.

A pinion 28is keyed to the shaft 14 andv kan intermediate pinion 29 rotatably mounted lshaft 14 and such movement does not interfere with the'rotation of the rim gear 18, that is, while the latter is rotated about its axis, said frame is freeto move in a. path. about the axis of the shaft 14. The frame '17 is normally supported. on a yielding `plunger 30 which is slidingly mounted on the hollow cylindrical member 31. The latter is firmly held in brackets 32 which are bolted to and extends laterally from the bed plate 11. The plunger 30 is supported on a coil spring 33 mounted in the bore of the member 31 beneath said plunger, and depended from the latter is a rod 34 which extends axially through said spring and through an opening in the bottom Wall of said member. The extending end of the rod 34 is threaded, and is `engaged by a nut 35.

The latter is adjustable on said rod and reacts against the lowery face of the member 31 to change the normal upward position of the plunger. Normally the frame 17 is supported on the plunger 30 and the lugs 19 are disposed in such a position that the web portion of the rail passes between said lugs as' a rail is advanced by the roller train 36 shown in broken lines to thel gag press? A weight` 37 is provided to counterbalance the frame 17 and is connected to the latter by means of a cable 38 passing over a pulley V39 which kis rotatably mounted on the fixed i brackets 40. The frame 17 being counterbalanced' maybe easily moved upwardly about the axis of the shaft 14 and be positioned, as shown by the dotted line outline 41 in Fig. 2, so that it does not'interfere with the handling of the lighter sections when it is desired to handle such sections manually. l

In .the operation of my rail turning device, assumin the frame 17 to be in its orizont-a'll position as shownin Fig. 2, the rail is fed to the gag press by lthe-roller train 36, theweb portion of therail passing between th ends of the lugs 19. To turn the railover in orderthat one or the other, of the sides, head or base restson the table of thepress so that the' proper face is presented to the anvil when the pressure i is applied to straighten the rail, the motor is started in the desired direction and the rim gear is rotated. When the rim gear rotates the lugs l 19 engage the head and flange of the rail and the latter is turned about its longitudinal axis.

17 is supported on the yielding plunger 31 As heretofore mentioned, the frame and is balanced by the weightv 37 so that it l is free tb automatically adjust itself in the vvertical plane and does notl interfere with turning of the rail, and furthermore, does not resist the flexing of the rail when the latter is being straightened in the ress.

It will be Aseen from the foregoing description that I provide a device for mechanically turning 'over 'rails and the like about its longitudinal axis and which is freely mounted so that it-does not 'interfere with the turning of the rail and also does not resist the flexing of the rail' while the latter is being straightened in the gag press.

While I have shown and described a device for handling rails it is manifest that such a device may easily be adapted to handle other structural shapes such as for exam' ple I-beams, H-beams, channels, angles, etc.A

`fications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only f such limitations shall be placed thereupon asare imposed by the prior art or asarespecifically set forth in the appended claims. Having thus describedthe invention, what ioo I claim as new and desire to secure by Letj ters Patent is:

1. A device for handling articles comprising a swinging frame, means to support said frame including a shaft, an annular member adapted to engage the articles to be handled, means interposed between said shaft and said member to actuate the latter, and means for rotating said' shaft.

2. A device for handling rails and like objects comprising a swingingframe, means to support said frame includlng a shaft, an annular member rotatably mounted on said frame, teeth formed on said member, a

pinion fixed to said shaft and in geared relation to said teeth,'means projecting from said member adapted. to engage the rail to be handled, and means for rotating said shaft. Y

3. A 'device forvhandling rails and like objects' comprising a swinging frame, means to support said frame including a shaft and.v

a yieldable member,'"means mounted on4 said I frame adaptedto engage' the object yto be handled, and means foractuating the last mentioned means.

4. A device for handling rails objects comprising a swinging frame, means to support said frame including a shaft and a yieldable member, a member rotatably Vand like A i mounted on said frame, gear teeth formed on said last mentioned member, alug extend- .ing from the latter adapted to engage the object to be handled, a pinion mounted on '5 said shaft and in geared relation to said teeth, and means for rotating said pinion.

5. A. device for handling rails 'comprising a swinging frame, means to support said frame including a shaft and a yieldablememlo ber, a rim gear rotatably mounted on said frame, a lug extending from said rim gear, a pinion mounted on said shaft, idler gear mounted on said frame in geared relation to said pinion and said rim gear, and means to rotate said pinion. f

6. A device for handling articles comprising a swinging frame, a support for said frame including -a shaft and a balancing means, a member mounted on said frame adapted to engage the article to be handled,

and means to actuate said member.

7. In a device for manipulating heavy articles,'a frame, means rotatably mounted in the frame for engaging anarticle, and

'25 means cooperative with said "frame and put in operationrduring manipulation of an article to automatically eiect a swinging adjustment of said frame.

l 8. In a device for manipulating aheavy I article,- a support, a frame pivotally mounted in the support to swing in an approximately vertical plane during manipulation of an article, and article engaging means mounted Y, in the frame to move ina substantiallyv vertical plane for manipulating an article.

'9. In a device for turning extended, heavy articles, a frame, means movably mounted in the -frame for engaging an article, and means cooperative with said frame and put 40 in operation during manipulation of an ar- 1 ticle to automatically effect vertical `adjustment of said frame. 10. In a device for turning heavy, extended'articles, a support, a frame mounted on the nsupport to, automatically' swing in a lane at a substantial angle to the length of the article-being turned during the turning of such article, and. an article engaging structure mounted in the'frame to rotate in a plane at a substantial angle to the length of the article being turned.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature this 2nd day of March v1926.

,HAROLD..M. ELY. 

